Camie and the Jedi Knight
by Xanderlike
Summary: Before the landspeeder accident that killed her husband and the future she expected, they called Camie Loneozner the prettiest girl on Tatooine, but Camie is no longer the girl Luke Skywalker knew before he left home. Returning home to save Han Solo, Luke is about to discover that his future may lie with a girl from his past. (Inspired by The Last Jedi novelization.)
1. Chapter 1

Someone was in the house.

Camie opened her eye and reached for the old blaster rifle that she kept at her bedside. She didn't bother asking how someone could have bypassed the alarm system that Fixer had set up before … _don't think about that now, Camie …_ because she knew it was time that she didn't have. If the alarm had failed, and the intruder was a Jawa then they would have grabbed whatever was the most valuable thing nearest the door and bolted … if they had even been brave enough to enter the house instead of the garage. A Tusken Raider would have killed her before she had time to wake up. This was something worse.

This was people.

A neighbor or a friendly would have announced themselves before entering the house even if they had found the alarm down. A scavenger … or one of those drunken farm boys she encountered time to time to who thought a woman homesteading by herself needed _company_ would not have been this quiet. Whoever it was didn't want her to know they were there …

Camie took a deep breath and forced herself to remain calm. She could do this. She could protect herself.

She was all she had.

 _Fixer …_

She wasn't ready to join him yet.

She crept out of the bedroom, towards the living area, blast rifle in hand.. Voices. Multiple voices. At least two men. A woman. And some alien she didn't recognize that liked to growl. And at least one droid judging by the sounds …

"I thought you said this place was a burnt out shell," one of the voices said when she got close enough to hear them clearly. It was one of the men.

"Obviously someone else took over," the woman said. "And they're probably still home, so keep your voice down."

They didn't sound hostile, but Camie had learned a long time ago that didn't mean anything. She flipped the blast rifle to stun (she wasn't sure she could kill someone) and spoke up. "Everyone stand very still. I've got a blaster and I'm not afraid to use it."

"Young miss, we're not here to hurt you." A tall black man with a mustache held his hands up in a placating gesture. His voice was soothing. "We didn't know that anyone would be here. We just needed a place to lay low ..."

The blast rifle flew out of her hands and into the arms of the other man who stood in shadows.

Camie gaped at them. She turned and made a run for the kitchen … and her knives.

"Camie!"

She knew that voice.

"Wormie?" she whispered.

"I prefer the name Luke," he said with a gentle smile as he stepped out of the shadows.

"Luke Skywalker ..."

"Miss … Camie is it?" The woman was young … no older than Camie herself … and extremely pretty. She laid a hand on Luke's shoulder. "We aren't here to hurt you. Luke didn't know that anyone would be here. We needed a place to rest and plan to help another friend of ours who's being held by Jabba the Hutt."

"Jabba? You're going against _Jabba?_ " Camie stared back at them. "You're all kriffing crazy!"

"Yeah, I told them that too," the black man said with a smile. "But here we are."

"Camie … we're not asking you to join us."

"Good. Because there's no kriffing way-"

"We just need a place for my friends to stay a few days. I've got something to take care of, and I need to do it alone." He looked around. "Where's Fixer?"

"Dead." It hurt to say it. It hurt to live it. "Landspeeder accident a year ago. We'd just started homesteading here."

"Force, Camie. I'm sorry ..." he walked towards her.

He was different. Somehow, he seemed more mature … more competent … nothing like the boy who used to stammer and turn red every time he tried to talk to her. He'd a crush on her.

Lots of boys had a crush on her once upon a time, Camie thought bitterly. They used to call her "the prettiest girl on Tatooine."

They didn't call her that any longer.

She stepped back into the shadows. She didn't want Luke to see her. She didn't want to see the pity in his eyes. "Thank you. Who are you? The rest of you, I mean?"

A gleaming golden droid stepped forward. "Pleased to meet you. I am C-Threepio. Human Cyborg Relations. My compatriot is R2D2-"

"That's enough, Threepio," the woman said. "The smooth talker is Lando Calrisan. The Wookie-"

"Wookie? There's a Wookie here?"

A furry hand placed itself on her shoulder … on her blind side. It squeezed gently before letting go.

"The Wookie is Chewbacca. My name is Leia Organa-"

"Leia Organa? The Princess?" Even on Tatooine, they had heard news of Alderaan's destruction. "You're dating a Princess, Luke?"

Luke blushed. "We're not dating. We're friends."

"Oh."

"Camie … just let us stay here tonight. Tomorrow we'll be on our way." Luke started to walk forward.

Camie retreated. "Okay. You can stay here tonight." She chuckled nervously. "It used to be your home, after all."

"I don't think Uncle Owen or Aunt Beru would mind," Luke said. "I was never cut out to be a moisture farmer."

"That's for certain. Fixer always thought you and Biggs would make it to the Academy and then we'd never see you again-"

"Biggs is gone, Camie."

"His parents said he never made it to the Academy. He must have jumped ship."

"He did. He joined the Rebellion. He died at Yavin." Luke closed his eyes.

"Oh no, Luke. I'm sorry. Biggs was such a good guy. I know you two were close." She stepped towards him.

She stepped into the light.

Luke gasped. " _Camie …._ "

The _look_. The _look_ everyone gave her. The reason she preferred to live kilometers away from everyone else … even with all the dangers of the Tatooine desert.

She hated that _look_.

Pity.

She had tied her hair up as she did every night. Her missing right eye … the burn scars on the right side of her face … even with the dim night lighting they were clearly visible.

Camie let her hair down, covering that side of her face as she habitually did whenever she had to be around other people. "The landspeeder accident I told you about, Luke. The one that killed Fixer. I was in the speeder too."

"I'm sorry, Camie-"

Camie wouldn't look at Luke. She couldn't stand to see that _look_ again. Instead, she looked into the eyes of the woman … Leia Organa. "Before Luke left … before the accident … they used to call me the prettiest girl on Tatooine. That's why he's looking at me like that. Make yourselves comfortable. In the morning, I'll make breakfast before you go."

"Camie-"

"Don't, Wormie." She moved past him without looking at him. "Just don't."

"Camie-"

"Goodnight … Luke."

She left left them … left _him_ … standing in the dark and went back to bed.

Alone.

 _Author's Note. So this was inspired by the beginning of **The Last Jedi** novelization. Camie and Fixer were in a scene that was cut out of the first **Star Wars.** Google "Camie from Star Wars" and you'll see what the actress (a young Koo Stark) looked like. I think Camie could make Luke forget all about kissing his sister … and a non Mara Jade relationship kind of interested me. Koo Stark was in an auto accident, and that gave me the idea for the landspeeder accident. She was not hurt nearly as bad as Camie was in this AU, thankfully._


	2. Chapter 2

Camie had lived on the farm long enough now that she did not need for her alarm to go off to start her day. Today- as on so many days- her hand automatically reached out for Fixer's side of the bed. She sighed as her fingers touched the pillow. He wasn't there.

He would never be there.

She rose off the bed and padded into her refresher. She slipped on her eye-patch. She had styled her hair to minimize exposure to her burns. She smiled slightly to herself; she could _almost_ fool herself into believing that she was still the girl that she had been before the land speeder accident.

Almost.

She sighed again. She had promised Luke and his friends breakfast. Then she would have go check the line and see how well the Vaporators were working. Working by herself she could not run as many as Owen Lars had, but she was meeting the minimum requirement to be considered a functioning moisture farm. She just had to do that one more year and then the farm would be legally hers free and clear.

 _I'm going to do it, Fixer. I promise you I'm going to do it. For the both of us._

She walked into the kitchen and began preparing a simple meal. She had enough blue milk for everyone, and she could provide grain cakes and some scrambled krayt eggs. There were even some dried bantha strips she could feed the Wookie if he required meat. She'd have to skimp on her own meals a few days after they left, but she'd made do with less before.

"Hello."

The woman, Leia. The Princess. She leaned against the door and watched her.

"I just brewed some caf," Leia told her motioning towards the counter. "Help yourself."

"I didn't have any caf." Camie frowned at her.

"We brought some with us. Lando can't live without his morning caf."

Caf was expensive- far beyond her own budget. Still, she allowed herself to pour a small cup. She took a drink. "It's very good. Thank you."

"Your welcome." Leia smiled again. She was about Camie's age. "We owe you for allowing us to stay here."

"Where are the others?" Camie asked her.

"Chewie is still sleeping. Lando left early this morning to get into position for his role in the plan. Luke is taking a walk around the farm."

"Figures. Wormie spent years telling us he was going to leave Tatooine behind and never look back, and the first place he heads to when he gets back is this farm."

"He said he grew up here."

"He was raised by his aunt and uncle." Camie poured the grain batter into the pan. They weren't as sweet as she would have liked, but her parents couldn't afford to spare her any honey right now. "We grew up together."

"Were you … close?" Was that jealousy or interest? Camie wasn't sure. Leia was very good at controlling her expression.

"We grew up together. Biggs. Wormie. Fixer. Me." Camie smiled and finished off her caf. "Better times. Happier times. Not that we knew it then."

"Why do you call him Wormie?"

Camie chuckled. "He'd kill me if I told you everything. Let's just say that it involves a bantha dung heap and my parents hydroponic gardens."

Leia smiled slightly. "Your parents are still alive?" This time Camie is sure she can see an undertone of longing in Leia's eyes.

"Yes. They run one of the hydroponic gardens. They buy all the water that I can provide them, and more besides. They're doing pretty well now."

"Why aren't you staying with them? It can't be that easy to live by yourself like this."

Camie flipped some cakes onto the plate. "I have one more year of homesteading. Once that's over, the farm is mine free and clear." She sighed. "Fixer and I were going to use it as our grubstake- sell it, and use the proceeds to set up our own repair shop. Fixer was teaching me tech work. Since he's … gone, I've been taking remote classes. By the time the year is up, I'll have my license and I'll be able to go to Mos Eisley and get a job at the space port."

"Is it worth living alone out here for that?"

"I don't have much choice. Fixer and I poured all our credits into our claim on the farm. Every spare credit my parents have right now goes towards paying for my sister's schooling off world." Camie smiled. "She's a bright girl. She's worth it."

"And you aren't?" Leia reached out towards her. "You're more than a pretty face, Camie. That's obvious to me. And to Luke."

Camie laughed. "I doubt that. Biggs used to call me dumb- and that was probably the nicest thing he had to say about me. Wormie- Luke- never contradicted him."

Leia winced.

"Luke's a good guy, but when he looked at me he saw the same thing every other boy did." Camie smiled. "I'm not dumb, Princess-"

"No one said you were. And call me Leia- please."

"Leia then." She nodded and handed a plate to Leia and brought the pitcher of blue milk out. "I'm not dumb, Leia, but I'm no genius either. I can stretch rations to feed a family of six on rations for two. I can grow grain in a hydroponic garden using soil even my father said was useless. Fixer said I had the makings of a decent mechanic and technician. I'm a Tatooine girl, and all I ever expected- or wanted, really- was to find a good man and raise a family. I found the good man, but he's gone now."

"You're still young," Leia said gently. "In time you'll meet someone else-"

"No." Camie sighed. "I can't have kids now."

"In time-"

"I _can't_ have kids, Leia." Camie lifted the lower half of her shirt, exposing the scars on her stomach. "They saved my life, but not- I can't have kids any longer. When a young man marries on Tatooine, he expects to have children to take over for him when he's not able to do the job any longer. I can't give anyone that."

"Your burns- they can be healed, Camie. Bacta can do so much-"

"Not on Tatooine. Not for someone without any credits. I can't afford to go offworld for treatment." She smiled ruefully. "So I can't be a farmer's wife any longer, and I'm not pretty enough any longer to be some rich man's trophy- if there were any around. Not even a Hutt would want me now." She lowered her shirt. "I'm going to _earn_ this farm. Finish my schooling. And open that shop. It's not a bad life, Leia."

"I believe you will." Leia smiled at her.

"So my turn to ask the questions now," Camie told her as they sat down. "You and Luke- are you close?"

"We're friends."

"That's what he said last night. But you two look at each other-"

Leia poured some of her blue milk into her caf and took a drink. "We … we care for each other. When we first met, I felt _drawn_ to him. But somehow … somehow it never turned into romance." She took another sip. "The man we're here to rescue-"

"Yes. Luke's friend?"

"He- I -" Leia faltered.

"You're in love with him." Camie smiled.

"He's a smuggler. An unrepentant scoundrel. And yet … he's one of the bravest men I know. We were on Hoth- an ice world. Luke didn't report back in. Everyone believed that it would be certain death for anyone to go looking for him, but Han knew that Luke wouldn't last the night without help. He went out to get him. I thought I was going to lose both of them-"

"But you didn't."

"No." Leia sighed again. "We … we didn't have enough time. Han was captured by the Empire- and turned over to Bobba Fett. He was frozen in carbonite and Bobba took him to Jabba to collect the bounty Jabba placed on his head."

"He must mean a lot to you."

"Chewie owes him a life debt. In a manner of speaking, so does Luke. Lando … Lando betrayed Han."

"He betrayed you and yet you trust him to help you save this Han?" Camie raised her eyebrow.

"He had good intentions," Leia admitted. "He ran Cloud City on Bespin. He was trying to protect his city and people. He should have known that Darth Vader would never keep his word."

" _Darth Vader?_ " Camie tried to fight off the fear. Even on Tatooine they had heard of Darth Vader.

"Darth Vader. Luke fought him in Bespin. He lost his hand and light saber- he was lucky he didn't lose his life." Leia looked away. "He's hiding something from me. He hasn't been the same since he fought Vader."

"I'm not surprised." Camie sighed. "So it's true then- Luke's with the Rebellion?"

"He fired the shot that destroyed the Emperor's Deathstar. He's the closest thing we have to a Jedi Knight- He's putting off finishing his training until Han's saved."

"He pulled my rifle out of my hands just by holding his hand out. It's hard to believe that the boy I grew up with is some kind of space magician." Camie finished her milk. She looked longingly at the pot of caf, but then shook her head. "I should get to work. I'll clean up when I get back."

"Have another cup," Leia urged her.

"I can't afford to get addicted. Thanks, though. I'll need my rifle. Do you know where Luke left it?"

"In the garage."

"All right. Thank you."

"Do you want some company?"

Camie shook her head, looking at Leia's relatively pale features. And she wasn't properly dressed for Tatooine's climate. "You're not used to Tatooine here. You won't be able to save anyone if you get sun stroke. It was nice speaking to you. I don't get a chance to talk to anyone my own age very often."

"I enjoyed it as well." Leia smiled. "Once Han is saved, I'd like to come back and say goodbye if that's all right with you."

Camie didn't allow her doubts as to the probability that Leia would rescue her man show on her face."I'd like that. Now I have to get to work."

"Be careful, Camie."

"I always am." Camie smiled at the other woman and then walked into the garage and picked up her rifle. She kept her working Vaporators close to the farm. She would check the PH readings on the cistern and make sure the Vaporators were in working order. Probably by the time she got back, Leia and the Wookie would be gone. It was the safer thing for her, but she couldn't deny that she was going to miss having company again.

 _This is your real life, Camie. The sooner that Luke and his friends are gone the sooner you can get back to leading the only life you can …_

She stepped outside of the garage. She knew that Leia would have found the heat to be blistering already, but for Tatooine it was a comparatively cool morning. _Going to be a good day. I hope._

Luke Skywalker was working on the balkiest Vaporator that Camie owned. One of the suns had already risen, but just as he finished the second one rose as well.

Luke stood up and shaded his eyes as he glanced up.

"Sunrise on Tatooine," he said softly. "There's nothing quite like it. I never thought I would miss it when I left, but it always feels wrong when I only see _one_ sun in the sky."

He looked so much like the Luke she had known before- so naive, so _earnest_ \- that she couldn't resist hugging him. "Welcome home, Luke. I missed you."

And much to her surprise, Camie realized that she had.

 _Author's Note: Not much here that most people don't know. Camie was Fixer's girlfriend in the deleted scenes from ANH. It was later established that they married. Fixer dying is something I came up with for this story. In TLJ novelization, Luke had a dream of Camie where she left Fixer for him and they grew old together. Hence the inspiration for this story._


	3. Chapter 3

Luke hugged Camie back tightly for a moment before he let go. "I was checking the Vaporators. I'm impressed you got them running again. I didn't think they survived the Stormtrooper attack."

"You mean Tusken Raiders, right?" Camie asked him. "I thought it was the Sand People who killed your aunt and uncle."

"Keep on believing that," Luke said after a moment. "It's safer for you."

Camie shrugged. "You know how Fixer is- was." Even after a year she still had trouble putting him in past tense. "He kept at it till he got them working." She absently mindedly ran a hand through her hair, and looked away as her fingers touched scar tissue. "Luke … you don't mind, do you? That we took over the farm. People need water-"

"Like I said last night, I'm sure Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen would have approved that you guys took a burnt out husk and made it a working farm again. And you're right. Your parents need water to keep the gardens growing." He gently reached out and took her shoulders. "Camie, I'm grateful to you- to both of you. You made this place a home again. After what happened … I can never thank you enough."

"We found the graves," Camie added, looking back at him. "For Owen and Beru. We fixed them up proper. Fixer said it was the least we could do." She sighed. "I know you two didn't always get along, but you really were one of Fixer's best friends. I hope you know that." She looked at her hands again. They were rougher now than they had been when Luke knew her before. The hands of a working woman, not a girl who was still allowed to be a child. _Leia's hand look nothing like mine,_ she thought fleetingly. "You were one of mine too."

"The feeling's mutual." Luke smiled shyly, then looked away. "If I had more time, I could help you repair a few more of them. But I need to make some preparations ..."

"I understand. You didn't come back to play moisture farmer again," Camie smiled at him. "I'm sure the big Rebellion hero has much more important things to do than help out a farm girl."

Luke returned her smile. "I don't know that I'm really a hero, but thanks for saying that. Do you mind showing me their graves? I should pay my respects."

"Of course." Camie reached out and took Luke's hand in hers. It seemed like the most natural gesture in the world- one that surprised her only after she did it. "Your hand ..."

"Yes. I lost my real hand at Bespin."

"Leia mentioned something to me about that this morning," Camie murmured. "But … it's so life-like. I can barely tell."

"The Rebellion has good doctors."

"That's nice." Came bit down a surge of jealously. Of course Luke would have a top of the line prosthesis. If he was the Rebellion's Jedi, they would want him to have the best. It wasn't his fault that Camie could not afford even the most basic of artificial eyes. "They did a nice job. Come on. The graveyard is over here."

Camie had insisted on restoring the family graveyard along with the house. She had known the Lars, and they had always been kind to her. Given that they were now living in their house, making sure they had a decent family plot was the least they could do.

"Thank you for giving them a proper headstone and tomb." Luke brushed his real fingers against the stone. Since so much of Tatooine was literal sand, it wasn't really possible to bury bodies too deeply. Most people opted for cremation and then to have their ashes entombed in above the ground small crypts. "Ben and I did our best, but we didn't have enough time-"

"Ben? Old Ben? The hermit?"

"Yes." Luke smiled at her. "Turns out, he was really a Jedi Knight. He was going to train me to be a Jedi."

"What happened to him?" Camie had known the old hermit was gone, but like most people she just assumed the old man had either died of natural causes or been killed by one of the dangerous predators that frequented the dunes of Tatooine. They wouldn't have left so much as a bone behind so no one even thought of looking for a body.

Not that anyone probably would have looked anyway, Camie admitted to herself. The old hermit had no family, and he didn't seem to be close enough to anyone willing to spend precious time and water looking for a body that was probably long devoured.

"Ben- Obi-Wan- was killed on the Deathstar. He helped us escape. He was murdered by Darth Vader." Luke's face twisted into a mask of pain and anguish.

"I'm sorry, Luke." She was still holding his hand. She knew that she should let it go, but it had been so long since she had touched anyone that even an artificial hand was comforting.

"It's not your fault," Luke smiled at her. He turned his attention back to the graveyard. "Did you make a place for Fixer?"

"No. I've got his urn. When I leave, I'm taking him with me." She felt a twinge of guilt as she explained the plan to sell the farmstead once she had free title to it. "I'll make sure that it goes to good people. The Whitesuns have expressed an interest … they're Beru's people, you know."

"I know." Luke's eyes flickered to the grave of Cliegg, Owen's father. "That tombstone. It's new."

"It's old, actually. We found it hidden in the garage when we were cleaning it out." Camie looked down at it. "Shmi. That was his second wife, wasn't she?"

"I think so. He died before I was born. Uncle Owen didn't talk about family much. Guess now I know why." Luke looked away. "Did you find anything else?"

"Yes. It was just an old box- looks like it might have come out of a junk shop- but I think it was Shmi's hope chest. It had some things in it. Would you like to see it?" Camie knew that she was burning daylight- that she had chores to do- but she wanted to do something to lift the sudden wave of sadness that had overtaken Luke.

"If you don't mind." Luke's mood seemed to lighten, and Camie found herself smiling back at him.

"Come on." She led Luke back into the garage and fumbled in the back until she brought out the battered metal box. It had probably started life as some merchant's footlocker, but some effort had been made to decorate it, with some childish designs etched into the metal. There was also writing- somewhat crude, but legible:

"Shmi and Anakin," Luke read. "Anakin … that was my father's name." At the mention of his father, Luke's mood began to darken again …

"The lock was broken when we found it," Camie said so that Luke wouldn't think Fixer and she had intended to loot it. "I didn't know who to give it to, so we held onto it ..."

"It's okay, Camie. You had no way to get it to me. I grew up here, and I never knew this box existed." He gently opened the box.

There wasn't much inside.

Some clothing- old and worn, meant for a young boy or a small humanoid. What looked like a homemade toolkit. Some actual _paper_ documents and two holo-crystals.

"I never took anything out of the box," Camie told him. "It's exactly the way I found it."

Luke reached down and picked up the papers. His eyes narrowed as he read them. "Kriff!"

"What is it?" Camie asked him.

"The papers. The top one is a property contract." Luke spat out a curse again. "Shmi and Anakin were _slaves._ "

Camie gasped. "Luke ..."

Slavery was not unknown on Tatooine, but neither one of them had ever encountered actual slaves. For practical as well as moral reasons, the average farmer preferred droids to human servants. For all the breakdowns they tended to suffer from the desert heat and sand, droids did not require food or water to work.

"The paper at the end- it's an emancipation document. It looks like Cliegg bought Shmi- and freed her. BEFORE he married her."

"He must have cared about her a great deal," Camie comforted him. "It would have cost him a small fortune to buy a human slave."

"Yes." Reverently, Luke restored the papers to their case. To Shmi, the paperwork showing she was a free woman must have been one of her most precious possessions. "I wish I had known her. She must have been a remarkable woman."

"What about Anakin? I don't recall my parents saying that Owen had a brother..."

"Anakin must have been gone by the time Cliegg bought Shmi," Luke murmured. "He must have left her ..."

"Left her? His own mother? In slavery?! Surely he wouldn't have done that!"

"I've found out a lot about my father since I left, Camie. Believe me, that wouldn't be the worst thing he ever did." Luke closed his eyes for a moment.

Camie had no answer to that. What had Luke found out about his father that made him react so negatively to the man? "The holos, Luke. You should look at them. They might show Shmi- and your father."

Luke picked up the holos and examined them. One was slightly newer than the other- but still years older than either Luke or Camie. That didn't matter though; once a holo crystal was made, it would retain power for _centuries_ if it wasn't destroyed. "I'm not sure I should-"

"Who knows when you'll be back again, Luke? You should take the chance."

Luke took a breath, and nodded. He turned the holo on.

 _The woman was not exactly old, but her face was worn from care, sorrow, and hard work. She was crying and clutching the papers to her chest. "Cliegg … Owen … you have no idea what this means to me."_

 _"Of course we do. That's why we're recording it."_

 _Luke smiled faintly. "That's Uncle Owen's voice. Maker, he sounds so young."_

 _"You're a free woman, Shmi." A man walked into view of the holo and took one of Shmi's hands. He looked at her adoringly. "No one will ever own you again."_

 _"Cliegg ..." Shmi returned the gaze._

 _"Beru!" Owen's voice called out. "Bring the cake in!"_

 _"A cake?" Shmi said in amazement._

 _"A cake," the voice of Luke's beloved aunt replied. "Don't worry. I know better than to let Owen or his father in the kitchen, Shmi. I baked it myself."_

 _"That wasn't necessary—"_

 _"Of course it was," Cliegg said sternly. "Shmi, the last year with you- well, you took this place and made a home for Owen and me. If you choose, you'll make me the happiest man in the Galaxy-"_

 _"Stay?"_

 _"Show her the ring, Pa!"_

 _Cliegg glared off in their direction. "I was working my way towards that!"_

 _"Sure you were."_

 _"Just tell her the truth, Cliegg," Beru's voice said gently, sounding wise beyond her apparent years. "Tell her how you feel."_

 _"Shmi …" Cliegg cleared his throat. "You're a free woman now- no matter how you answer, you're free. But … I love you. We all do. I want you to stay – I want you to marry me. I know that I'm just a farmer, but I swear to you I'll do my best to be the best husband in the Galaxy- and if your boy ever comes home, I'll treat him just like I do Owen."_

 _"That'd be a good reason for him to stay away!" Owen shot back._

 _Shmi stood frozen in shock. "Marry ….? You **want** me?"_

 _"I will always want you," Cliegg told her gently._

 _"Say yes, Shmi," Owen added softly. "We need you. We all need you. Please say yes."_

 _Cliegg looked into the surprised woman's eyes for a moment longer, and then turned away. "I guess I know your answer." He started to walk out of the image-_

 _"Cliegg." Shmi grabbed his shoulder and spun him about. She launched herself into his arms and kissed him on the lips._

 _"I think that means she's saying yes," Owen observed._

 _"Yes!" Shmi said, breaking the kiss. "I'm saying yes." Shmi suddenly sighed. "I just wish Ani were here to see this …"_

 _"You'll see him again," Cliegg said, embracing her. "You just have to have faith."_

 _"Ani's moved beyond me. He's a Jedi now. They're forbidden to have any emotional attachments. I'll never see him again. He's probably forgotten all about me by now... Giving him up was the hardest thing I ever did, but he needed to go with the Jedi ..." She began to cry. "Ani ..."_

 _"Shmi …" Cliegg pulled her close. "He's always going to be your son. And you've got another family now. You have us. Owen, me- even Beru. And now you're free..."_

 _"You're right." Shmi dried her eyes. "Let's have some of that cake ..."_

Luke shut the holo off. "So that was my grandmother … I wish I could have known her."

"At least you know she was loved," Camie told him sympathetically. "And judging by that holo she was a good woman. You should watch the other holo now."

"I'm not sure I want to," Luke admitted. "I may find out something that will spoil what I just saw."

"Luke …?"

"I found out that my father wasn't the kind of man I thought he was." Luke gestured at the first holo. "I think she was probably better off not seeing him again."

"Luke … I don't know what you learned about your father." She held up her hand. "And you don't have to tell me anything."

"It's probably better you don't know. At least not now."

"But I refuse to believe a woman like that raised a monster. No matter who he is, no matter what he became, if he's got a mother like that I have to believe that he didn't start out that way. You need to see what he was if you can." She touched his face, and felt him unconsciously lean into her fingers. It made her fingers tingle. "And no matter what he was, that doesn't change who you are."

"Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight?" He smirked.

"Wormie Skywalker, best bush pilot on Tatooine."

"You have _got_ to stop calling me that."

"Maybe I will if you watch that second holo. Maybe."

"Fine." Luke grabbed the second holo crystal and flicked it on.

 _A young girl appears on the screen. Dark haired, a teenager._

"She reminds me of Leia," Luke murmured.

"I can see that," Camie admitted.

 _"Shmi Skywalker, my name is Padme. We met earlier when Anakin brought Qui-Gon Jin, myself, the droid, and the Gungan to your home. In winning that pod race-"_

"My _father_ won a pod race?" Luke asked in surprise as he placed the holo on pause.

"I heard rumors that a human child once won a pod race, but I thought that was a myth. Fixer said that humans don't have the reflexes to operate a pod racer safely …." Camie stared at the image of the young woman … girl really. She couldn't have been more than fourteen.

"The Force can sometimes guide us. That might have been it." Luke shook his head. "I don't think we'll ever really know." He resumed the holo.

 _"In winning the pod race, Anakin has done for me- for my people- than you will ever know. I wish that I could reward him- and you- properly. But this is the best I can do on such short notice. I made this holo from footage recorded by my droid R2D2-"_

Luke paused the holo again. " _R2D2?_ "

"You know the droid?"

"Yes. He wound up with Princess Leia. What are the odds of that?" Luke shrugged. He resumed the holo.

 _"I know that if it's at all possible Qui-Gon Jin and Obi-Wan Kenobi will see to it that Ani finds a home with the Jedi, but if something happens to prevent that, you have my word that I will personally see to his welfare. If the Force is with us, we will meet again. If it is not, then you have my everlasting gratitude for the things that Anakin and you have done for my people. I leave you with that gratitude, and these images of Anakin."_

 _The girl disappears, and images of a young boy working on a pod racer take their place. There's an unfinished droid that looks like Threepio. A scattering of other children are present as is a clumsy Gungan. In the background, they see the girl Padme as well._

 _The holo ends with the boy smiling up at the girl._

"Someone had a crush," Camie observed with a smile. "Did you see the way he looked at the girl? It was adorable."

"Adorable," Luke echoed. He turned the image back on, focusing on the boy. "There he is. Anakin Skywalker. That's my father. That was my father … before." He turned the holo off. His hands were shaking.

"Luke." Camie could not stop herself. She grabbed his hands and held them in her own. "Luke … what is it? What's wrong?"

"My father … he's still alive, Camie. He's still alive, and he's a monster. If I told you his name- the name he goes by now- you would run away from me in terror. Everyone would. Even Leia."

"That's bantha poo, Luke. We're your friends. We care about you. No matter who your father is, that's never going to change. You should know that." Camie thought for a moment. "No matter what kind of monster your father is, you aren't one."

"Neither was he- once." Luke gestured at the holo-crystal.

"Maybe ..." she was reluctant to add any more, but she did. "Maybe he can stop being one."

Luke stared at her.

"If he was a good person, maybe he can be one again. And even if he can't, his destiny isn't yours. You're meant to do things, I think- important things. But you can't do anything if you let fear and doubt overwhelm you."

"Do or do not. There is no try." Luke's lips quirked in a smile. "A very wise person once said that to me. "You remind me of him."

"Because I'm wise?" Camie flashed him a smile and tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. This was _Wormie Skywalker_ , an old friend. She didn't feel anything for him beyond that. She couldn't.

And he was leaving. In a day, maybe less … he would be gone again.

"Because you're both pretty irritating, actually."

"Oh you-!" Camie swatted at him, and Luke dodged, pulling her into his arms.

For a moment, they stared at each other.

 _He's awfully close,_ Camie thought to herself. _I'd barely have to move to kiss him …_

Luke blinked as though realizing the situation and let her go.

"I should … take care of my chores," Camie murmured, looking down at her feet. "I've got a lot to do."

"Camie ..."

"I'll see you again before you go, Luke?"

"Yes. I need to borrow a landspeeder if I could. I need to go out to Ben's cave."

"I don't have a spare, but I can drive you out there after my chores are done. Would that be all right?"

"That would be fine. Thank you, Camie."

"Anything for a friend." Camie looked at him again, forcing a smile on her face. "See you later?"

"Definitely." Luke smiled at her again, but he did not come any closer.

Maybe because neither of them were sure of what would happen if he did.

With a sigh, Camie walked back out into the harsh light of the Tatooine morning.

And Luke watched her go.

 _Author's Note: Yeah, this turned out much longer than I expected. But I feel like Shmi and Padme are short changed in the Skywalker saga and wanted to give them a little airtime._


	4. Chapter 4

_I've been alone too long,_ Camie told herself as she went back to work. _That has to be it. I loved Fixer. I don't want anyone else. I'm just … lonely._

And then the other thought. The one that made her heart ache even more. _And even if Luke survives his meeting with Jabba he's going to leave Tatooine and never come back. I'll never see him again. Put him out of your head, farm girl._

 _Forget him. Forget Luke. Forget the almost-kiss. It never happened._

It did not take her long to complete her chores. Luke had already checked most of the operational Vaporators, and the cistern did not require much adjustment. It was nearly time for the mid-meal when she returned back to the house.

Leia and Luke were arguing when she got back inside.

"Luke … that's insane. You can't go wandering out in the desert by yourself for days!"

"I won't be wandering, Leia. I know exactly where I need to go. There's something I need to do." Luke shrugged. "It's a Jedi thing."

"A Jedi thing? You're going to leave us for _days_ and not tell us where you're going or what you'll be doing. You won't have a com. And we're supposed to do _nothing._ What if something attacks you- one of those Raiders you told us about … or Jawas or ..."

"Jawas aren't normally big on attacking people. If anything they'd try to sell me something." Luke smirked. "Leia, I grew up here. I know how to take care of myself. We have to give Lando time to work his way into Jabba's palace before we can make our next move. I know you want to go charging up to Jabba's palace with blasters blazing but that won't save Han."

"I know … I know ..." Leia turned her back on him and hugged herself. "I just thought we'd be doing this together."

"We will- I'll be there when you need me. But we all have things to take care of."

Chewbacca the Wookie growled. He looked miserable. The house was relatively cool- but what was cool for a human was apparently not the same for a Wookie with all that fur.

"Yes, Chewie. We'll get Han back. I promise." Luke looked weary.

"Am I interrupting anything?" Camie asked as she made her way back into the kitchen and poured herself another glass of blue milk. She glanced over at the miserable looking Wookie. "Would you like some water?"

The Wookie growled something.

"He says thank you," Luke translated.

Camie nodded and poured the Wookie a glass of water. "I'm guessing that you're not one for blue milk."

The Wookie laughed and drank the water. He said something else.

"No, I'm sure she doesn't have anything stronger," Luke replied. His eyes twinkled as he said it, and Camie found herself wishing he would look at her like that …

Kriff.

This was ridiculous.

"Luke's asked me to take him somewhere," Camie finally told Leia. "I'll know where to find him if anything goes wrong. If he says he has a reason for doing this alone, I believe him. Luke's a lot of things, but he's never been very good at lying."

"Why are you telling her but not me?" Leia demanded of Luke suddenly, raising an eyebrow.

"She's the one with the landspeeder," Luke explained. "And she won't loan it to me."

"Not if he's going to be gone a couple of days." Camie took a deep breath. "Look … the last thing I want is to attract Jabba's attention, but if you want to lay low here until you do … whatever it is that you have to do, that's okay. You can wait for Luke here."

"Camie, we have a lot of enemies-" Leia began. "Not just Jabba. Imperial enemies. You could get into a lot of trouble if they find out you're helping us ..."

"I think we're past the point of me not helping you," Camie pointed out. "If your enemies trace you here, they won't listen to me even if I tried to sell you out."

"You wouldn't do that."

"How do you know that, Leia?" Camie asked her, surprised. She might have expected Luke to say something like that, but the Princess had spoken before he had a chance to react.

Leia smirked softly and glanced over at Luke. "Call it a hunch." The smile dropped from her face. "I know people, Camie. You're too good a person to sell someone out."

Camie blushed softly. For most of her life, the only compliments she had ever gotten were to do with her looks. She was the pretty girl. Her sister was the smart one in the family. Having someone say something _nice_ about her that had nothing to do with her looks … was _unexpected._ "Thank you, Leia. I meant it. You and the others can stay here till you're ready to do what you have to." She glanced over at Luke. "How long do you think you'll be gone?"

Luke looked out at the desert. "We should wait till late afternoon before we go. I'll need three days. So if you come back for me the fourth dawn after today I should be ready."

Camie didn't ask "ready for what" as she had an idea that Luke wasn't going to say anything more. "All right. Let's eat."

"Camie, would you mind if we used your workshop while Luke is away?" Leia asked. "There are some things that I need to take care of. My own preparations." She looked over at Luke.

"Certainly," Camie told her. "I'll get you started right after lunch."

"Thank you."

..**..

After lunch, Luke went to get ready for his trip. The Wookie retired for a nap in an attempt to escape the heat. Leia followed Camie into her garage workshop.

"Very nice," Leia approved. "You have everything I need here."

"Thank you. Fixer was very good at his job. Every spare credit he made went into his tools."She ran her fingers over his toolbox. "I always feel closest to him when I'm out here working."

"You loved him very much."

"I did. I do. I always will." Camie sighed. "Do you need any help?"

"No. I know exactly what to do- and how to do it." Leia smiled. "I've picked up a few things that weren't in my royal education over the years. You do that when you're part of a Rebellion."

Camie shrugged. "I suppose."

"You know. You could join us." Leia smiled slyly. "I think Luke would like that."

"My place is here."

"What's left for you here? I know you loved Fixer- and it seems like he was a good man, but Camie- he's gone now. The Rebellion needs people like you- strong, _good_ people ..."

"I'm not interested in the Rebellion."

Leia blinked in surprise. "But we're fighting for justice- to restore the Old Republic that the Emperor destroyed ..."

"This is Tatooine, Leia. The Hutts were ruling here when the Old Republic was at the height of its strength. The Empire hasn't gotten rid of them, but the Republic didn't try either. For the Core Worlds, the Republic might have good- even great- but for those of us in the Outer Rim … it didn't do much of anything."

"But the Empire-"

"I'm not saying that I support the Empire. I'll help you- and Luke- but it doesn't make any difference to me or my mine if there's an Emperor or a Chancellor on Coruscant."

"If the Emperor destroys the Rebellion you may find out that it does make a difference." Leia smiled. "But this isn't the Senate Floor and neither of us have time for a debate. I'll thank any help that you care to give."

Camie nodded. "Be careful, Leia."

"Careful?"

"I'm taking technician classes, remember? I recognize a thermal detonator when I see it." Camie smirked at the other woman. "I'll see you when I get back."

"Let's just hope I don't have to use it," Leia murmured as she waved to Camie.

..**..

"My landspeeder," Luke murmured in disbelief as they sped across the desert. Camie would have enough time to drop him off at Kenobi's cave and return home before nightfall. No one traveled the desert alone at night- there was no telling when a Tusken Raider party would show up to take advantage of human folly. "I can't believe you bought my landspeeder."

"I got a good price on it after ..." Camie sighed. "I needed one after the accident. I remembered Fixer telling me how he'd worked on it for you and I wanted something that reminded me of him ..."

"Of course." Luke said awkwardly. He looked away. "Camie, if you'd like to come with us ..."

"Leia already gave me the sales pitch, Luke. I told her no." Camie stared straight ahead, refusing to look at him, not wanting to see disappointment or relief on his face. "I'm a Tatooine girl. Maybe you're meant to fly around in an X-Wing righting wrongs, but I'm just a simple woman. I belong here. I've always belonged here."

"Camie ..."

"But maybe you can come back sometime." _Why am I saying these things to him?_ "When you've done what you have to do. Maybe you can come back and visit me?" _Visit me? Visit_ _ **me?**_ _Can you sound any more needie Camie?_

"I'd like that."

"You would?" Camie turned her surprised eye to him before turning back to the road. "That would be … I mean, that would be nice, Luke ..."

"I think so too." Luke reached over and squeezed her hand. "You can stop up ahead at that ridge."

"I don't see a cave ..."

"I'll have to go the rest of the way on foot. It's not fair. The 'speeder won't make it." Luke smiled at her. "I'll see you on the fourth dawn."

"All right. I'll be back." Camie smiled and reached out to touch his face. She could feel beard stubble on his face. _Huh. Wormie has stubble. I wonder what he'd look like with a beard?_ "Luke … be careful. Ben's been gone a long time. Who knows who or what might have moved into his home. Do you want me to go with you … to make sure?"

"I'll be fine, Camie." He took her hand in his and held it for a moment. His hand was rough like hers. She wondered fleetingly if he wished it was Leia's hand he was holding. "Thank you for everything- for the ride, for giving my friends a place to stay. I'm in your debt."

"We're friends, Luke." She reluctantly pulled her hand from his. "You don't owe me anything." She smiled at him. "I'll see you on fourth dawn."

"See you then." Luke smiled and looked into her eyes for a moment.

 _He wants to kiss me,_ Camie thought to herself. _I want him to kiss me._

But he didn't.

He got out of the landspeeder. "Goodbye, Camie."

"Goodbye, Luke."

And the thought of the kiss that didn't happen haunted her all the way home.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days passed quickly.

Chewbacca the Wookie did not speak Basic, but he certainly understood it. And while the heat of the day made him miserable, he seemed determined to repay Camie's hospitality. He gave Camie's blaster rifle a thorough cleaning and helped Camie repair a hand blaster that even Fixer had given up as a lost cause. Finally, he helped her tuneup her landspeeder.

At first, Camie had been intimidated and even a little frightened of the Wookie. He was large, and Wookies were said to be even stronger than Tusken Raiders. She did not relish the prospect of having an arm torn off from inadvertently insulting him.

As they worked, however, they fell into a kind of rhythm … the Wookie clearly knew his way around machinery and even without speaking the same language he was able to teach Camie a trick or two that even Fixer had not shown her.

Listening to the steady hum of the landspeeder's engine, Camie smiled at the Wookie. "Thank you, Chewbacca. I doubt it ran any better when it came off the assembly line."

Chewbacca threw back his head and barked out a laugh. He had dragged the droid Threepio into the garage to translate for him and growled at it. "Chewbacca says that you do excellent work yourself, Mistress Camie. He was very favorably impressed with your workshop."

"Thank you, Chewbacca." She ran a hand through her sweat-stained hair. "I could really use some water, how about you?"

Chewbacca growled some more. "Chewbacca is concerned that he has used more water than you can spare, Mistress Camie."

Camie smiled at the Wookie. "Luke's help with the Vaporators helped increase my harvest. I've got enough to spare, Chewbacca."

Chewbacca growled again. "Chewbacca says that you may call him Chewie." The droid's head swiveled and somehow managed to look offended. "Why can _she_ call you 'Chewie' when I cannot?"

The Wookie barked … which somehow sounded more intimidating than his growls. "Why, yes I do like having my arms attached … Oh. I understand. Mistress Camie, you may certainly call him 'Chewie' while I will continue to refer to the Wookie as 'Chewbacca.'"

"Now that we have that settled, let's get that drink," Camie smiled and led them back into the house. Leia nodded to them as they came in and motioned to an earpiece that she was wearing. She was obviously in communication with Luke or Lando or perhaps someone else in the Rebel Alliance …

Camie decided not to pursue that thought.

It was not her war.

She poured the Wookie a large glass of water and a smaller one for herself. Chewie drank his carefully, with a delicacy that she would not have expected of such a large creature. He growled softly. "Chewbacca wishes me to inform you that he has spent a considerable time on Tatooine with Master Solo and is thankful for your all your hospitality- especially for the water that you have so freely given."

Camie nodded her head in acceptance of the Wookie's gratitude. Water was more precious on Tatooine than credits. It meant something to her that someone (other than Luke) understood the importance of that. "What did you do on Tatooine, Chewie?"

The Wookie looked uncomfortable. He whined softly.

Then Camie remembered. _"He's a smuggler. An unrepentant scoundrel ..._ "

"They worked for Jabba the Hutt." Threepio did a double take. "Oh my."

"And you did something to anger him," Camie realized.

Chewie looked away and nodded.

"Not the smartest move if you wanted to live a long time." Camie's parents paid a "tax" to Jabba as a price for doing business … kriff, for _living_ on Tatooine. As Camie grew up, she had heard her parents whisper their fears that someday Camie might attract the attention of the Hutt's agents … it was rumored that Jabba has a taste for pretty humanoid women. She'd even had nightmares about that once or twice.

 _Not something I have to worry about now._

"You'll get him back." Camie shrugged her bleak thoughts away. "You're going to get him back.

Luke Skywalker never fails his friends."

..**..

When it was time to pick up Luke, Leia and Chewie went with her.

"Camie and I can take care of ourselves, Chewie," Leia told the Wookie with some exasperation as he crowded into the landspeeder with them.

The Wookie growled at her.

"Yes, I know there are Sandpeople out here. And krayt dragons. But Camie grew up here and I'm not exactly helpless myself."

The Wookie barked at her.

"What do you mean Han would never forgive you if I got into trouble without you? You're not much better than _he_ is for staying out trouble, Chewbacca."

The Wookie grunted and motioned for Camie to drive.

Hiding a smile … and a pang of painful nostalgia at the thought that it hadn't been that long ago that she had ridden in this same landspeeder with Fixer, Biggs, and Luke on some youthful adventure that had seemed dreadfully exciting at the time … _If only I could go back to those days … if only for a little while …_

She shook her head angrily. _You can't be a little girl anymore, Camie. Stop wishing for things you can never have._

Luke was waiting for them at the same ridge she had dropped him off at.

No sooner had Camie brought the landspeeder to a halt than Leia leaped out of it and ran into his waiting arms. "Luke!"

They held each other for a moment and began to speak quietly to each other, looking at each other as though no one else existed.

Camie fought back a bitter wave of jealousy. _She may love that Han Solo, but Luke is obviously important to her too. As she is to him …._

She felt a gentle hand touch her shoulder. A soft whine filled her ear. It was obviously a question.

"I'm okay, Chewie. It's just ..." She looked at Luke and Leia again. "I … Fixer and I were like that." She chuckled wryly. "He wasn't the most handsome man on the planet- and he had an ego like a small moon sometimes- but he … I … we had _something_ that I've never had with anyone else. And I probably never will again … I thought I was okay with that. But ..." She let the words trail off.

 _Now I want it again …_ She looked at Luke Skywalker as he walked back to the landspeeder holding one of Leia Organa's hands. _And I know I'll never have it … not with Luke. His heart already belongs to someone else._

"Camie." Luke smiled at her. "Thanks for coming back to get me."

"I said I would. Did you do … whatever it was you came out here to do?"

"I did." He helped Leia back into the landspeeder … the Princess making her way to sit in the back with Chewie. "I thought about what you said to me too ..."

"About …?" She felt herself blushing and hoped her tan was dark enough to hide it.

"About … _him._ "

"Oh." Camie started the landspeeder up and turned around to head back home. "I'm glad I could help, Luke."

She listened to Luke happily chatter with Leia and Chewie all the way back home.

..**..

Luke spent some time alone with R2D2 in Camie's workshop. When he returned, his face was immeasurably calmer than it had been when Camie left him behind to go to Old Ben's cave. They ate a a late night dinner.

"Lando is in position," Leia told Luke.

"We'll send the droids in with the message first," Luke replied. "Who knows? Maybe Jabba will be making a deal."

"Maybe," Leia said dubiously, "but something tells me that I'm going to need make sure my disguise is foolproof." She cast a knowing glance at Luke and then looked over at Chewbacca. "Come on, Chewie. You can help me put the finishing touches on it."

The Wookie shrugged and went back to finishing his meal.

Leia kicked him under the table. "I said, _come on, Chewie."_ She glanced at Luke again and then back at the Wookie.

Chewbacca whined in understanding and rose to his feet. He tousled Luke's hair in passing, and gave Camie's shoulder a comforting squeeze before he left.

"Well, that was subtle," Camie said in amusement.

"Yeah." Luke shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Camie ..."

"Yes, Luke?" She looked over at him, feeling a fluttering in her stomach that she hadn't experienced since the first time Fixer asked her out.

"You've been such a great help to us. I hope you know how much we all appreciate it."

"Oh." Came felt her face fall, and then turned away as she absentmindedly brushed her hair. "It's okay, Luke., I was glad to help out an old friend." She sighed. "Whatever happens with Jabba, I'll probably never see you again, will I?"

Luke was silent.

"You'll fly back out to that Rebellion of yours and I'll still be here on Tatooine." She looked back at him. "You belong out there, Luke. I think you always did- that's why you felt such an urge to leave us all behind."

"I wanted to leave Tatooine behind- not the people I cared about." Luke reached out and took Camie's hand in both of his. "I hope you know that. You're important to me." He coughed suddenly. "I mean, you and Fixer always were important to me. And you still are. That hasn't changed. It never will."

"I'm glad, Luke." She felt her throat tighten. "I'm very glad."

"I'll come back, Camie."

She looked up at him, feeling a sudden hope.

"When Han is saved … when the Rebellion is over ...I'll come back and let you know what happened."

She sighed. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Luke."

He managed to look mock offended. "You doubt me?"

"You're a Jedi Knight, Luke. The Galaxy is a big place. Tatooine is just one world ..." She smiled at him. "And I'm just an ordinary woman. You've got princesses to save, smugglers to rescue … Empires to overthrow. It won't be that long before you forget all about me."

Luke shook his head. "I'll never forget you, Camie Loneozner." He smiled at her. "No one who meets you will ever forget you."

She smiled at him. "You're sweet, Luke." She got up from the table. "You should get some sleep. You've got a big day ahead of you."

She kissed his forehead. "Be happy, Luke."

"Camie-" He reached out to take her hand again.

She gently pulled free. "Goodnight, Luke." _Don't make this any harder on me than it has to be, Luke. You're not for me. I'm not for you. It's just the loneliness talking to both of us._

He sighed and let her go. "Goodnight, Camie."

And she smiled at him one final time like the girl she had been and then went back to her lonely bed.

Eventually, sleep came.

 _Author's Note: I admit I kind of wonder when Leia got around to telling Luke that she was in love with Han. Having watched the original trilogy not that long ago, Leia was certainly very "handsy" with Luke through the first two movies. There are lots of hugs and kisses for a guy she just met … even in ANH when she's only known him for a few **hours.**_


	6. Chapter 6

Luke borrowed the landspeeder long enough to drop the droids off within walking distance of Jabba's palace early the next morning. After a wait of several hours, it became apparent to Luke that Jabba was not in the mood to make a deal and he returned home.

"I suppose it's up to Chewie and me now," Leia said as Camie helped her into her disguise.

"With luck, we'll get Han and the droids out."

"Be careful." Camie wasn't a fighter, a warrior. She would be nothing but dead weight if she offered to go with them, but she still felt guilty she couldn't do any more. "You're going to stay to get the droids too?"

"If we can." Leia gave her a lopsided grin. "If we don't, Luke will go in after them even if we save Han. They're important to him- and the rest of us as well, I guess." Leia shrugged. "We've been through too much with them just to leave them."

"I understand." The droids that she had to work on the farm- the ones that her parents used on their hydroponics garden- were nothing like Artoo and Threepio. Those two droids had such personalities that they were like living beings. Camie couldn't imagine abandoning them either. And even if she could … "That totally sounds like Luke."

"Yes." Leia paused before putting on the helmet. "Camie … if the worst happens ..."

"It won't." She couldn't imagine anything happening to the legendary Princess Leia. She _wouldn't_. "Nothing will happen. If necessary, Luke will save the day. He's a Jedi, isn't he?"

Leia said nothing for a moment. "Yes," she said at last. "He's as true a Jedi as there's ever been. I really believe that."

"I believe that too." Camie smiled at her.

Leia reached out and touched Camie's face. "Camie … even in spite of Luke being a Jedi, just promise me that you'll look out for Luke if something happens to the rest of us. He's going to need someone."

"It won't happen," Camie repeated stubbornly. "But if it did … I would be there. For your sake." And she squeezed Leia's hand as the latter pulled back. "And for his."

"That's all I can ask." Leia put on the helmet that completed her disguise as Boushh the bounty hunter. The helmet distorted her voice. "May the Force be with you, Camie."

"And with you," Camie returned. She turned back to the Wookie who had stood silently by as she had talked to Leia. "Chewie ..."

The Wookie knelt down and embraced her.

"Thank you for the things you taught me," Camie told him. She hugged him tightly, afraid that she might never see the Wookie again. "Thank you so much."

..**..

Luke borrowed her landspeeder to take Chewie and Leia close enough to reach Jabba's Palace in a reasonable period of time. He was unusually somber when he returned. "Well, they're in."

"How long will you wait?" Camie asked him.

"Leia will have to wait until Jabba's crowd goes down for the night before she even tries to save Han. You can survive Carbonite freezing, but it's not exactly a wonderful experience, so Han will probably be in no condition to travel right away. I'll stay up all night in case they need a pickup. If I don't hear from them, I'll head out right before first light." He looked uncertain. "I'll need your landspeeder again."

"I'll go with you-"

"Camie, it's too dangerous."

"Not to Jabba's palace. I'm not stupid." She held up her hand. "But I'll drop you off. I can bring the landspeeder back and you can signal me for pickup if you need it."

"All right." Luke held up his hands. "I know when to admit defeat."

Camie smiled. "So … what shall we talk about?"

"Talk about?"

"You don't think I'm going to let you sit up by yourself, do you? Leia and Chewie are my friends too. I'm not going to be able to sleep until I know they're safe."

"All right then." Luke smiled. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Tell me about some of the worlds you've seen. What are they like?"

Luke smiled. "I've been on a lot of worlds since I left Tatooine, Camie. The Rebellion isn't able to stay in one spot for long, so sadly I've not gotten to do a lot of sightseeing." He frowned as he thought for a moment. "I've seen _snow_ , Camie."

"Snow?" The word sounded vaguely familiar, but she could not remember what it meant.

"It's water, Camie. _Frozen_ water. On a world called Hoth. It's so cold there that the water freezes."

"You're kriffing me."

"Swear to Maker, it's true." Luke held up his hand. "And there's another world- Dagobah- that seemed to be entirely a swamp."

"What's a swamp?"

"A place filled with water- and vegetation. _Natural_ vegetation."

"You mean … no one takes care of it?"

"No. There's just water on the surface." Luke made a face. "Too much water, actually. Artoo _still_ complains about mud getting into his interior."

Camie sighed. "I wish I could have seen that."

"You still can- someday."

"I don't think I'll ever leave Tatooine." Camie sighed. "Here- here I know how to live. Out there- on some other world- I'd be like a sarlacc out of its pit."

"You're a lot more adaptable than a sarlacc, Camie." Luke smiled at her. "Now tell me about what's happened since I left."

"Well, Fixer _did_ pick up those power converters from Tosche Station you never collected," Camie told him with a smirk.

They spoke some more of the people that Luke had left behind with Tatooine. He told her of the things he'd seen and the people he'd met, and explained when he had to. It was fascinating to learn about other worlds … and disheartening too.

Luke had seen so many things … done so many things … so much that was beyond her own frame of reference.

He had grown so much more than she had.

 _Of course he would be fascinated by someone like Leia. Someone like me …_ Camie broke that thought off. "I'm sorry you had to come back to trouble, but I'm glad I got to see you again."

"Me too." Luke took her hands in his. "Me too."

..**..

Leia did not signal.

Camie let Luke drive the landspeeder over the desert to Jabba's palace. They were both silent. Camie carried her blaster rifle with her … just in case they ran into trouble before they reached it. Her heart was racing.

"This is as far as you go," Luke told her as he came to stop before a sand dune that looked the same as dozens of others they had passed. "I'll go on foot from here." He pressed a communicator into her hands. "And if I need you, I'll call."

"You don't want me to stay here?"

"Out in the desert- alone?" Luke shook his head. "You know better than that. Go back home where you're safe. When we're done here, we'll come back to let you know we're okay."

She wants to argue, but she knows that this is a place she cannot follow him. She could handle the drunken farm boys- even an occasional Tusken Raider or drunken Jawa, but she was no soldier. She would just get in the way if she tried to go into Jabba's palace with him- and they were going to have enough trouble as it was. "All right. I don't like it, but I won't argue."

Luke got out of the landspeeder and put up his hood. "Don't worry, Camie. Leia and the rest of us have seen worse, and we're still here."

"Just don't get cocky-" Camie began.

Luke smirked.

"What was that about?" Camie frowned in annoyance. Didn't he realize how much danger he was walking into? That Leia and the others already were in?

"Han said the same thing to me once." He smiled. "I think it's a good omen you say the same thing to me right now."

He reached out to touch her cheek- her scarred cheek- and Camie drew back.

"Camie ..."

She looked down. She did not want to see pity in his eyes. Not now. Not ever.

"Luminous beings are we," Luke took her chin and lifted her face. He lightly stroked her cheek. "You are so much more than your scars."

"Luke ..."

It would be so easy to kiss him know, she thought. She could kiss him, and maybe he would kiss her back. Maybe he would stay-

But no.

He couldn't do that.

She couldn't let him do that even if he would.

Leia. Chewie. The droids. Even the mysterious Han Solo.

They were all counting on him. They all needed Luke. They needed him so much more than she did.

And he belonged with them.

She pulled back. "Be careful, Luke. Just- be careful, all right?"

"I will." He stood up to his full height and walked away.

Camie turned the landspeeder around.

He did not look back.

She did.

He was already gone.

She headed home.


	7. Chapter 7

It was still early morning by the time that Camie returned home. She would have to work hard if she was to be done with her morning chores before the heat of mid-day. Only in late afternoon would it again be cool enough to make it tolerable to complete her day. She did not want to get behind … her margin of survival was thin enough as it was …

Camie worked with a vengeance to catch up. After days sharing her home with other people, the silence was deafening. She did her best to set aside her fear for Luke and the others, but the effort was exhausting her.

The vaporators were as balky as ever, but they did their job, and the ones that Luke had fixed for her were doing even better than she had expected. If they stayed operational- never a given due to Tatooine's harsh climate- she might even manage to set aside some money when the season was over. It would be nice to get ahead for once.

She made a mental list of the things to work on when the heat became too high for her to coax moisture out of the sky. The solar cells that powered her house could use a cleaning. She had clothes to mend, shoes that needed to be resoled. The work was never ending, and normally she would be too busy with it to think of anything else.

But now … now she could not stop worrying about Luke and the others.

She tried not to think about what Jabba could be doing to Leia and Chewbacca- especially Leia- right at this moment. She tried not to imagine how Jabba would react to Luke's intrusion on his palace … she even tried not to visualize all the creative ways that the droids could be destroyed …

But she could not stop herself from worrying.

She knew she had been right to stay aside. She could not have helped them- she would have only made their task that much harder if she had accompanied any of them. She knew that it had been the right thing to do.

It still felt like a betrayal.

..**..

She took a nap when the heat became too much. It was something she did often; there was no point wasting energy that could better be used later on when dusk fell. At night she was normally too tired to dream … or at least remember her dreams. But during her naps … those she remembered.

She didn't always want to.

 _Fixer laughing … holding her hand as he asked her to marry him … working together on the Lars homestead to turn it into a working moisture farm again. Hours of work followed by lazy embraces, lying in bed late at night and talking about their plans for the future …_

 _The landspeeder crash … staring helplessly as Fixer's lifeless body burned in the wreckage … wanting to crawl to him … wanting to burn with him …_

 _Coming home with his urn in her hands … back to the farm … her parents pleading with her to come home with them … that they would find a way to make it work … her proud refusal … the aching loneliness of her empty bed …_

 _And then Luke and the others coming into her life. The sounds of laughter. Of camaraderie. Of not being alone …_

 _And the looks that Luke gave her … the looks that she had been certain she would never see again … feeling alive again …._

 _Now … now she dreamed of Luke dying … of being shot to pieces by Jabba's guards … of Chewie being fed to one of the Hutt's pet monsters … Leia being forward to dance for the monster knowing that such servitude would be worse than death to a woman like her … Lando screaming as Jabba's men smashed his handsome face in …_

She woke up screaming.

And then her bedroom door burst open as Luke Skywalker charged in with a drawn light saber. "Camie!"

Camie stared at him in confusion. "Luke?"

Sheepishly, Luke deactivated his light saber. "Sorry. We just got here. I heard you screaming and thought … well, sorry."

"You're back. You're here? You're really here?"

"Yeah." Luke smiled at her. "We're all okay, Camie. We found him. We got Han back." He held out a hand. His synthetic one. She noticed that it had been shot, but it seemed to be in working order. "We can't stay long, but we just wanted to let you know we're okay."

They were safe … they were back … but they were going to leave.

Of course they were. They were part of a Rebellion. They couldn't stay here forever. This was just another mission for them … for Luke.

She took his hand and let him pull her up.

They were standing close … closer than she had stood to anyone since Fixer died.

"Are you okay, Camie?"

"I'm fine." She smiled softly. "Just some bad dreams. Are the others inside?"

"Yes. They all wanted to see you before we left."

Camie ran a hand self consciously through her sweat-streaked hair. "That's very nice of them." She took a deep breath. _You knew they would go- that_ _ **he**_ _would go._ "Let's go see them."

..**..

Han Solo is a scoundrel.

She doesn't have to spend more than five minutes with him to know that. But there's a tenderness in the way that he looks at Leia. There's an obvious bond he shares with Lando. And even though they're different species, Camie can tell that Chewbacca is more a brother than best friend to Han.

"Leia tells me that you gave them a place to stay while they were planning on coming to my rescue." He has trouble seeing- a side effect of extended carbonite hibernation- but he has nice eyes. (Well, not "nice" per se, but definitely "attractive.") "Thanks for your hospitality."

"It was an honor- and I'm grateful that the help they gave me with my farm."

"If you like, Mistress Camie, I could have a talk with the Vaporators to make sure they are doing their hardest for you," Threepio offered.

"That would be wonderful, Threepio."

Artoo whistled. "Artoo says he will also go supervise me." Threepio balked. "Supervise me? You bucket of bolts ..."

The two droids filed out the door.

"Miss Camie, it is indeed an honor to see you again." Lando smoothly kissed her hand, and Camie's surprised at how easily she blushed. This man was dangerously charming.

"I'm glad to see you came out of your mission intact, Mr. Calrissian." Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Luke watching. Was he frowning?

"Please. It's Lando." He smiled again. "I only regret that we have to take leave of you so soon."

That's right, she remembered. They had a war to win. They couldn't stay. "I'll be sorry to see all of you go," Camie said honestly. "But I am glad that I was able to meet you all."

"The pleasure was ours," Lando told her. He glanced over at Leia who stood apart from the others, wearing what Camie knew to be a slave girl outfit. Plainly things had not gone quite as well as they might have liked. "I'll make arrangements for our departure."

"It's getting too late for you to travel," Camie reported. "It'll take you several hours to get back to Mos Eisley. You should wait until dawn. It's much safer to travel in the daylight." She glanced over at Luke who was hovering near Leia. Camie fought down the hot surge of jealousy. _Luke isn't mine._ "You know that right, Luke?"

The Jedi Knight nodded briefly. "Camie is right. It would be safer. Jabba's sky skiff is pretty well known. Traveling at night would just make us all that more memorable for anyone who happened to be looking for us."

"I'll check the skiff out to make sure it will take us where to go. In the morning, then." Lando smiled at Camie again and walked out.

Leia had wrapped her arms around herself. "I need to clean up. I can still feel Jabba's slime against my skin."

Han blinked. "What?" He had apparently missed some things. However close his vision was to returning, he obviously had not yet been able to see Leia's outfit.

"Nothing, Han."

"Leia, what did that slimy-"

"Han, Chewie, I think we owe it to Camie to finish her chores," Luke said quickly. "It'll help you take your mind off your vision."

"In a minute, Luke. Leia-"

Chewbacca barked, and took Han firmly by his arm and led him out into the darkness with Luke. He waved at Camie and Leia as they left.

Leia looked at Camie, and looked away.

Camie would have been prepared to listen if Leia wanted to speak- to offer a hug if the princess asked for it- but she was momentarily uncertain of what to do.

"I feel _dirty,_ " Leia said softly.

"I know what to do. Come with me." Camie took the other girl's hand- Leia gripped her fingers tightly- and led her into her own personal bathroom. There was a shower- a luxury that Camie seldom afforded herself, but she had kept it in working order. "I've got some soap and shampoo. Nothing probably as fancy as what you're used to, but it will do the job."

"Camie-" Leia looked at her gratefully. "You've already given us so much of your water, I can't do this."

"You can. You will. It won't kill me, Leia." _I can recycle the water for my hydroponics. I can't dishonor Leia by using it for drinking._ "It's fine. Get yourself cleaned up. I think my clothing will fit you if you'd like to wear it. I've got a spare sleep suit that's clean."

"Thank you, Camie."

Camie smiled. "Luke just drafted your boyfriend to help take care of my chores. I owe you."

Leia laughed. "A little honest work will do him good, the scoundrel."

It was good to hear Leia laugh again.

Camie would not have blamed the princess if she had lingered in her shower, but, mindful of the cost to Camie, Leia kept it short. After drying herself off and donning the sleep suit that Camie provided her, she sighed and fingered her hair. "I hate to ask for another favor, but could I borrow a comb?"

"Sure." Camie paused. "If you like, I could help you. I've got a sister. We used to do each other's hair all the time."

"Of course." Leia sat down in front of Camie's mirror.

Leia told her something about how important braiding was to Alderaan culture. She spoke almost mechanically. "Even now … it's hard to believe that I'll never have my mother braid my hair again …"

Camie squeezed her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you." Leia patted her hand. "I killed him."

"What?"

"Jabba. I killed him. I strangled him to death with the same damn chain he put on me." There was a momentary savage exultation in her eyes.

"You killed Jabba." Camie blinked. She knew that it could make things worse for Tatooine in the short term, but what she said was, "Good."

"Good?" Leia asked in surprise.

"He was a terrible person. I would have done the same thing in your place." _If I could. If I was strong enough._

Leia smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Camie- for everything. Han- and the others- are good men, but I think I just needed to be around another woman for this."

Camie lightly embraced the princess. "I'm glad I could be here for you, Leia."

..**..

Night had fallen when the others came back inside.

"Between us, we managed to get another two Vaporators working," Luke reported with an air of pride that made him seem more like the innocent farm boy of old rather than a Jedi Knight.

Camie smiled. "Thank you, Luke."

"I helped," Han said proudly. "My eyes are just about back to normal now." He blinked when he saw Leia. "Wow. You look … wow."

Leia smiled. "Thanks."

Luke smiled at her. "Han is right. You look lovely, Leia." He smiled at Camie. "And so do you."

Camie self consciously stepped back. "It's kind of you to say so." _I was never as beautiful as Leia, as strong as Leia … I wish I were. Kriff, I wish I were._ "It's getting late, but I can fix you something to eat … I can heat up some bantha stew I have left over." She had been saving it for a special occasion- the end of the season if she made a profit, for example- but it felt like there would never be a better time. She smiled at Luke. "My mother's recipe."

Luke's eyes lit up. "Guys, you have to try this bantha stew. It's amazing."

Camie smiled. "Mom would be happy to know that her stew gets the Jedi seal of approval."

"Camie, are you sure? You've given us so much." Leia squeezed her hand. "One missed meal won't kill us- not even Chewbacca."

The Wookie roared a mild protest and then shook his head in agreement with Leia.

"I'm sure. It'll be worth it."

"Fine." Leia glanced at the men. "Bring in the emergency rations and our water." She looked at Camie. "They aren't nearly as tasty as your cooking, but it can at least provide a cushion if you need it. We didn't bring much water, but we'll leave you with what we have."

"Wait a minute." Han frowned. "Camie's been sharing her food and water with you? For how long?"

"Just a couple of days." Camie shrugged.

Han frowned. He looked at Luke and the others.

They nodded as one.

"Come on, guys. Let's do what Leia said."'

The four men filed out.

"You don't have to do this, Leia-" Camie began. "You're my guests ..."

"Camie, we were going to use those rations to sustain us while we planned our rescue of Han." She smiled. "Trust me, once you've eaten a few of them you won't feel quite so grateful. Let me help you."

Camie laughed. "Somehow I didn't think princesses were trained to know their way around a kitchen."

"Not so much," Leia agreed. "But as a member of the Rebellion I've learned to strip down, clean, and reassemble a blaster rifle. I'm sure I'm capable of at least putting out some plates and glasses."

The men returned in with a couple of small chests of rations and two liters of water. Camie knew they had been supplementing what she had shared with them from their own supplies so there wasn't a lot left over, but even this small amount of water could be the difference between life and death. The rations weren't going to be nearly as welcome- she had never eaten them, but their reputation for tastelessness had reached even Tatooine- but she was much too pragmatic to turn her nose up at them. "Thank you- all of you, thank you for this. I really do appreciate it."

"You shared water with us," Luke murmured. "And real food. We're in your debt."

"Yeah," Han echoed. Again he glanced at the others. "We are."

All of the men nodded again.

"Lando, I've made sure that the skiff isn't bugged. It's got enough fuel to get us to Mos Eisley." He glanced at Camie. "If we had more time, I'd sell it for you ..."

Camie shook her head. "Leave it there. I don't want any curious Imperials or Hutts tracing it my way. The credits aren't worth the risk- to anyone."

The former Cloud City governor nodded. "I suppose you're right."

It didn't take long to prepare the stew. There wasn't a lot of it, but there was enough for everyone to have a bowl- Chewbacca enthusiastically agreed with Luke that the stew was _very_ good and asked Camie for the recipe. She wrote it down and handed it to him. "I didn't know you cooked, Chewie."

Chewbacca barked again.

"Hey!" Han protested while Luke and Leia laughed.

"What did he say?" Camie asked.

"He said that if he had to count on Han to cook they would have starved a long time ago," Luke translated.

Han folded his arms in mock anger before cracking a smile. "So I can't cook. I'm still the guy who made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs."

"You can't spend ten minutes with him without him finding an excuse to bring that up," Lando murmured. "And he always forgets to mention that Chewie and I were there too."

"Yeah, well, it was _my_ idea. And I was the pilot."

"It was _my_ ship then," Lando retorted. "He never tells anyone that either."

"I won that card game fair and square," Han growled. "You cheated!"

"There's no proof of that," Lando replied smoothly, adjusting his collar. "And we're not here to bore Camie with tales of your past exploits." His lips twitched. "I'm quite sure that Camie would rather hear about Luke's adventures anyway."

Luke blushed. "I don't know what you mean ..."

"Well, there was that time you and Leia wound up on Mimban ..."

Luke and Leia shifted uncomfortably. "That was years ago."

Camie felt a hot surge of jealousy at how Luke and Leia reacted to the Mimban reference, but she fought it down. "I don't have such exciting stories to tell, but I guess I _could_ tell you why Luke was called Wormie ..."

Luke fixed her with a deadly glare. "Don't you dare."

"How _did_ you and Lando meet?" Leia asked Han. "You never told me."

This time Han coughed nervously. "It was right after I met Chewie. We were part of a team that needed a ship. Lando owned the _Falcon_ and went in on it with us ..."

A few more stories were told that night.

Camie wanted to hear more. She wanted to spend more time with these amazing people who had briefly allowed her to be a part of their lives. She wanted more …

But in the morning they would be gone, and Camie would be alone again.

"I should get to bed." She got up to her feet.

"Good night, Camie," Leia said, giving her a quick hug.

Luke and the others nodded to her.

"We may talk a little longer, but we'll keep it down," Lando promised. "Sweet dreams, dear lady."

"Thank you, Lando." She offered him a tired smile and made her way to her bedroom.

Luke trailed along after her. "Camie ..."

"Yes, Luke?" She was keenly aware that his friends were suddenly finding any excuse at all to look anywhere but at them.

"Thanks … for everything."

"You're a friend, Luke." She reached out and touched his cheek. "And so are they now."

"I'll come back," he promised softly.

"The famous Jedi Knight would find a reason to come back to Tatooine again? Camie scoffed. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Luke."

"I never had any reason to come back before." He smiled shyly. "I'll come back and let you know how things turned out."

 _If you don't get yourself killed,_ Camie thought to herself with a sudden chill. "I'd like that, Luke. I'd like to know what happened. I hope I do get to see you again." She lowered her hand, unsure of what else to say. "Good night, Luke."

He smiled. "Good night, Camie."

She left him standing at the door, not knowing if he would be gone when she woke up.

She fell asleep wondering how she would be able to live a life that no longer included Luke Skywalker.

 _Author's Note: I imagine Han would probably **not** say "Wow" in canon but I could not help myself. For obvious reasons, I don't imagine that Han ever got around to telling Leia about Qi'ra and his first adventure on the Falcon. Mimban was where **Splinter of the Mind's Eye** … the first official non movie adaption Star Wars novel took place. There was definitely some UST in that novel between Luke and Leia as it was written before they became officially brother and sister. _

.


	8. Chapter 8

Camie woke up to the sounds of quiet conversation.

"Han wouldn't just walk out on us," Luke argued softly. "Neither would Chewbacca."

"He's left before," Leia said softly.

"Han and I _have_ been known to do us each other a bad turn or two," Lando said as he polished the barrel of his rifle blaster. "And Chewie's first loyalty will always be to Han."

"I refuse to believe Han would abandon us after we just saved his life," Luke insisted firmly. "You should know that better than anyone, Leia."

"I know," Leia admitted. "I don't want to believe it … I _don't_ believe it, but Chewie and Han are gone … and so's the skiff. Maybe some of Jabba's men caught them outside …?"

"What's wrong?" Camie asked as she walked into the living room. It was still dark outside, hours earlier than her normal wake up time.

"Han, Chewie, and the sky skiff are gone," Lando told her. "We may be _slightly_ delayed in our departure. I had an old … acquaintance drop us off earlier. I can contact them again for a pickup … but if the _Falcon_ is gone transportation off world could be expensive."

"You can borrow my landspeeder if you need to," Camie offered.

"You'd have to come with us … at least one of us," Luke pointed out. "We don't want to put you in any more danger than we have to."

Camie nodded. She glanced at the others. Luke looked certain that Han had not left them high and dry. Leia seemed doubtful … and Lando more bemused than anything else. "Until Han returns to us," she said with what she hoped was conviction, "why don't I go ahead and make you an early breakfast?"

"That would be lovely, Camie," Lando murmured with a smooth smile. "Thank you. I can help, if you like." He smiled flirtatiously. "I know my way around a kitchen … among other places."

"That won't be necessary, Lando," Luke said quickly. " _I'll_ help Camie. You can keep a lookout for Han and Chewie."

"The droids can do that better than I can, but I suppose it won't hurt to take a look." Lando smiled at Camie. "Another time perhaps, young miss."

Camie found herself blushing. "I'm sure you're an excellent … cook, Lando."

"I am indeed." Lando smirked and then walked outside.

Leia watched him go with a momentary amusement that temporarily overrode her concern for Han. "I'll try to reach them by radio again."

Camie walked over to Leia. She felt an urge to hug the other woman, but there was a look in the other woman's eyes that dissuaded her. She settled for giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. "I'm sure Han will be back soon."

Leia smiled at her but said nothing.

Luke was waiting for Camie when she walked back into the kitchen. "It's amazing how much of it looks the same as it did when Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen owned it."

"Well, we _did_ remember it fairly well," Camie said as she started mixing some grain cake batter. And the house wasn't _totally_ destroyed." She smiled at him as he awkwardly poured the batter into the frying pan. "You probably didn't help Beru in the kitchen too much, did you?"

"Not since I was very little. As soon as I was old enough, Uncle Owen had me working on the vaporators with him." Luke closed his eyes and smiled faintly. "Sometimes I wonder what he'd think of me now." He shrugged. "I doubt he'd consider Jedi Knight as being a particularly practical occupation, and Owen Lars was always a pragmatic man."

"He loved you, Luke." Camie smiled at him. "Men like Owen- like my father- they aren't always great at expressing it with words, but they love fiercely. I'm sure Owen is proud of the man you became."

"I hope so." Luke gathered some plates and silverware. "You know... I never really knew, but from that holo Owen and Beru were not my blood relatives. Cliegg married Shmi after my father left Tatooine."

"You know that doesn't matter. They loved you just the same."

"I was adopted too." Leia stood in the doorway, looking at them.

"You never told me that," Luke said in surprise.

"You never asked. It didn't really matter. Bail and Breha were my parents. Alderaan was my world. Nothing will ever change that." Leia sighed. "No word from Han."

"Do you know when he left?" Camie asked.

"He left when we were asleep." There was a definite trace of annoyance in Leia's voice. "They both did. They told Threepio that they had an errand to run, and would try to be back soon."

"Maybe they did ..."

"Han has been in carbonite for months. Chewbacca has been working with the Rebellion. What kind of errand could they have on Tatooine for kriff's sake?"

Camie shrugged. "I don't know." She looked at them. "But when Han looks at Leia it's not with the eyes of a man who wants to run away."

Lando joined them, and they ate quietly.

"I know that Han would regret missing out on this breakfast," Lando complimented Camie. "After choking down what Jabba served his people for meals for days, this tastes like paradise."

"You're a very smooth talker, Lando," Camie told the older man with a blush. Before Fixer, before the accident, many men had flirted with her, but she was years out of practice now. And even if she weren't, Lando was probably one of the most charming men Camie had ever met.

"Camie is a very good cook," Luke agreed with an agitated tone in his voice. "She always has been." Luke smiled at her. "Though I do think you've gotten even better."

"I've had plenty of practice." Camie looked away … only to catch the amused eye of Leia Organa. "What?"

"Nothing." Leia took a bite of her grain cake. "Nothing at all." She cocked her ear. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Camie asked.

"The sky skiff." Leia jumped up from her chair and rushed outside.

Now it was Camie's time to smile. She glanced over at Luke and saw the look of relief on his face. She smirked when he looked back at her, relief obvious on his face. "What? I _knew_ he'd come back."

"Of course you did." Camie got up and followed Luke outside.

The double suns of Tatooine were just on the verge of rising. The sky was red. Jabba's sky skiff came to a stop in front of the house.

Han Solo stood at the controls, a cocky smile on his face. "Sorry for the delay, but there was something I needed to get from Jabba's palace before we left."

"Loot." If Leia's eyes had been blasters, Han Solo would have been a dead man … or at least a heavily stunned man. "You risked your life-"

Chewbacca roared.

" _Chewie's life-_ just so you could go looting Jabba's palace. I swear, every time I think that you have a modicum of common sense you do something like this and prove me wrong ..."

"Hey, this was something I had to do, sweetheart. Chewie, let's get those casks down."

"Casks? I swear to the Maker if you went back to Jabba's for alcohol I will put you in carbonite myself-" Leia began.

"Not alcohol. Even I ain't that crazy, sweetheart." Han looked over at Camie. "Water."

"Water?" Leia asked in surprise.

"Water. Camie here helped you out- and that means she helped _me._ I owe her." Han smiled at Camie and she couldn't help but blush once more. "The place was already being picked over by the time Chewie and I got there, but we got what we could."

The casks were large enough that not even a Wookie could handle them by himself. Han and Lando sweated and cursed as they helped him haul the first one down. "Want to give us a hand, kid, or are you just going to stand there and supervise?"

Luke smiled. "Actually, I thought I'd just do this-" Luke gestured and the remaining two casks floated off the sky skiff and into the garage.

Han glared at him.

"It's okay, Han. You guys can get that one. Come on, ladies, let's check these out."

Camie followed Luke in a daze. The casks were nearly as tall as she was, and nearly as wide as she was tall. "These casks … this is nearly half a season's worth of water. And the casks themselves … they're much more resistant to evaporation than the ones I use." Camie had not cried since Fixer's death (water was too precious), but she could feel her eyes growing damp. "This is so much ..."

"You deserve it," Luke told her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You've given us so much in the short time we've been here."

"Luke is right." Leia smiled.

Finally, Han, Lando, and Chewie managed to bring the last cask in. Han glared once more at Luke. "Kid ..."

"Yes, Han?" Luke was the picture of innocence.

"Ah, what am I going to do with you?" Han rushed forward and embraced Luke, playfully locking his arm around Luke's neck and then tousling his hair. "Guess it's true. You're a Jedi now. You're nearly as annoying as that old man was..."

Luke sighed. "There's still so much I have to learn ..."

"That can wait," Leia said firmly. "Now that we have Han Solo back where he belongs" and Leia slipped her hand into his "it's time we rendezvous with the fleet. We still have a war to win." She looked over at Camie. "We have to go now."

"You're right." Camie looked away from them. "You did what you came here to do. You- all of you- belong out there." She looked back at Luke and smiled through the tears that she could no longer control. "Just like I belong here."

"I'll come back," Luke told her softly. "When this is over, I'll come back and tell you what happened. If I—" He paused. "I'll come back."

 _If I live._

The words were unspoken but Camie read them in his eyes. Fear hit her- fear of losing him … _What am I thinking? He's not mine. If he's anyone's he's Leia's..._

She hugged him.

Surprised, Luke wrapped his arms about her. "I'll be back," Luke promised. "I'll be back, Camie."

Camie said nothing. She simply did her best to remember everything about a moment she was certain would never come again.

An hour later, they were gone and Camie was alone again.


End file.
